I love chestnuts and my husband and I have sat in bed this morning having a journey to the heart of them with you! I just read Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver and learned about the demise of mist Sweet Chestnuts in America. They are tricky to process and I am fascinated by the work that went into extracting food from things like acorns for example. Food is so easy now. I have recently been processing Dandelion roots for coffee and that is a process and a half too. Worth it, but it is time consuming. Thanks again for today’s thinking! ❤️
Oooh, I must seek out that book. Thank you. I did read about the plight of Sweet Chestnuts in the US whilst researching this. So, so sad. There are so many species that are suffering now. I hope that we and the trees will find kinder ways to be together. And yes, such a process! I remember watching a Ray Mears prog where he and Gordon Hillman were discussing how our ancestors in the British Isles got starch/carbohydrates in their diets before grain and potatoes etc were readily available. They were discussing water lily bulbs I think, but the process to make them edible was absolutely boggling. It feels like starchy foods do need a lot of processing, which is fascinating in itself. You would like ‘The Hunter-Gatherer Way’ by Ffyona Campbell I think. It is such an amazing book and has I'm sure quite changed my life. I might share something from it during our Advent wanderings…
Ooh, that is both timely and exciting! What method did you use? I learned a new one the other day that said to soak them for an hour and then after they were cooked steam them in a tea towel. That worked quite well.
That is exactly what I was referring to, in the video you shared - it was really interesting. Haven't tried it yet, but hadn't heard about soaking them first. Have tried roasting them twice this year, but just ended up with a crumbly mess and very sore fingers! Hope the soaking method works better 🤞
I had never tried soaking them either. It does seem to help. I also think that eating them as fresh as possible is good. I suffered minor finger damage but certainly not as bad as usual! 😅
I love Sweet Chestnut 🌰. My Sister lives in Bedfordshire and is surrounded by woods filled with Sweet Chestnut trees, in my part of Devon they are few and far between so I have to buy. I had no idea that the bulk of them come from China. I will look carefully at their source in future. I really enjoyed the two men discussing them and of course the wonderful Nat King Cole.
So interesting that there aren't many sweet chestnuts in Devon. Because I have always lived in the south east I have little sense of these things, but even moving from London to the sea, which isn't very far, the plants and trees are quite different. I didn't know about China either. As for the two men, weren't they charming. I might keep the video to watch in times of stress. It's a fabulous channel. They seem to discuss all sorts of interesting things.
I share my land with old chestnut trees. They are a mix of American chestnut and something else and have managed to survive the blight. Most years the squirrels get them all. They climb high into the canopy and snatch them before they fall. I think I will search for some to roast this year as they are quite plentiful. Thank you for this post.
How beautiful that you live with old chestnut trees. I have been reading that they can live to be 700 years old +. Such beautiful trees. Bless the squirrels. It's the same here with our cherry trees. The starlings and pigeons get them all, but we love them so all is well. I do hope that you find a few chestnuts to roast though. Good luck!
I love chestnuts and my husband and I have sat in bed this morning having a journey to the heart of them with you! I just read Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver and learned about the demise of mist Sweet Chestnuts in America. They are tricky to process and I am fascinated by the work that went into extracting food from things like acorns for example. Food is so easy now. I have recently been processing Dandelion roots for coffee and that is a process and a half too. Worth it, but it is time consuming. Thanks again for today’s thinking! ❤️
Oooh, I must seek out that book. Thank you. I did read about the plight of Sweet Chestnuts in the US whilst researching this. So, so sad. There are so many species that are suffering now. I hope that we and the trees will find kinder ways to be together. And yes, such a process! I remember watching a Ray Mears prog where he and Gordon Hillman were discussing how our ancestors in the British Isles got starch/carbohydrates in their diets before grain and potatoes etc were readily available. They were discussing water lily bulbs I think, but the process to make them edible was absolutely boggling. It feels like starchy foods do need a lot of processing, which is fascinating in itself. You would like ‘The Hunter-Gatherer Way’ by Ffyona Campbell I think. It is such an amazing book and has I'm sure quite changed my life. I might share something from it during our Advent wanderings…
Always such a beautiful read x
Thank you so much, Denise x
And today, among other things, I've learnt how to roast chestnuts properly! Thanks, again for so much food for thought 💖
Ooh, that is both timely and exciting! What method did you use? I learned a new one the other day that said to soak them for an hour and then after they were cooked steam them in a tea towel. That worked quite well.
That is exactly what I was referring to, in the video you shared - it was really interesting. Haven't tried it yet, but hadn't heard about soaking them first. Have tried roasting them twice this year, but just ended up with a crumbly mess and very sore fingers! Hope the soaking method works better 🤞
I had never tried soaking them either. It does seem to help. I also think that eating them as fresh as possible is good. I suffered minor finger damage but certainly not as bad as usual! 😅
I love Sweet Chestnut 🌰. My Sister lives in Bedfordshire and is surrounded by woods filled with Sweet Chestnut trees, in my part of Devon they are few and far between so I have to buy. I had no idea that the bulk of them come from China. I will look carefully at their source in future. I really enjoyed the two men discussing them and of course the wonderful Nat King Cole.
So interesting that there aren't many sweet chestnuts in Devon. Because I have always lived in the south east I have little sense of these things, but even moving from London to the sea, which isn't very far, the plants and trees are quite different. I didn't know about China either. As for the two men, weren't they charming. I might keep the video to watch in times of stress. It's a fabulous channel. They seem to discuss all sorts of interesting things.
I share my land with old chestnut trees. They are a mix of American chestnut and something else and have managed to survive the blight. Most years the squirrels get them all. They climb high into the canopy and snatch them before they fall. I think I will search for some to roast this year as they are quite plentiful. Thank you for this post.
How beautiful that you live with old chestnut trees. I have been reading that they can live to be 700 years old +. Such beautiful trees. Bless the squirrels. It's the same here with our cherry trees. The starlings and pigeons get them all, but we love them so all is well. I do hope that you find a few chestnuts to roast though. Good luck!